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Charles Figley, Paul Henry Kurzweg Distinguished Chair in Disaster Mental Health and professor in the School of Social Work at Tulane University, spoke March 19, 2013, during the Forum Speaker Series at Penn State's University Park campus.

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Heard on Campus: Charles Figley at the Penn State Forum

March 19, 2013

Heard on Campus: Charles Figley at the Penn State Forum

"I have seen, time and time again — most recently with a study with the Army in studying combat medics — that there is amazing transformation as a result of these adversities, that there is every reason to believe that everyone can overcome a traumatic event. So the notion of this adversity isn't a horrible, bad thing without some advantages."

— Charles Figley, Paul Henry Kurzweg Distinguished Chair in Disaster Mental Health and founding member of the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy at Tulane University. Figley spoke at the Penn State Forum luncheon today (March 19) at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on the topic, "The Trauma Paradox: Lessons of Adversity and Transformation."

A graduate of Penn State with master's and doctoral degrees in human development and family studies, Figley was named a 2004 Alumni Fellow, which is the most prestigious honor given by the Penn State Alumni Association. Figley's work as a trauma scholar has led to many innovations in psychology, psychiatry and social work. These include the development of the diagnosis of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the treatment of war veterans, traumatized families, and the secondary trauma of mental health professionals and other caregivers (i.e., compassion fatigue), traumatology and the traumatology of grieving.

The next Penn State Forum luncheon is scheduled for April 4 with speaker Chipp Kidd, a Penn State alumnus, graphic designer and writer in New York City. His book jacket designs for Alfred A. Knopf (where he has worked since 1986) have helped spawn a revolution in the art of American book packaging. He will be speaking on the topic, "What the Stories Look Like."